A Descriptive Case Study of Professional Development for Cooperating Teachers in a Clinically-Based Model of Student Teaching

The specific purpose of this study to is to discover what trainings and professional development are most beneficial to, and meet the needs of, clinical supervising teachers who work with first-year practicum student teachers and second-year resident student teachers within a clinical model of student teaching. The information from this study is relevant because it seeks to meet the mandatory requirements of Oregon Senate Bill 83 which states that cooperating teachers must be trained. However, specific training that is needed or required has not been clarified at the state level. Ten clinical supervising teachers participated in this study. They took part in focus groups, interviews, and documents in the form of exit tickets and peer reflective forms were collected from them. A literature-based checklist was used to determine areas of growth needed that were yet unidentified as needs by the participants. Findings of the study show that clinical supervising teachers are experts in pedagogy but need more training in adult learning theory. In examining the results, the researcher found that clinical supervising teachers need to understand the success criteria for practicum and resident teachers, and they require more training in mentoring strategies, co-teaching strategies, culturally responsive teaching, classroom management, and edTPA. Trainings to fill these gaps should include practical strategies that are targeted and delivered throughout the school year, matched to need, rather than providing one-size-fits-all information prior to the start of a clinical supervising teacher’s experience